Tim Bernitt - Wichita, Kansas
May 7, 2007

The Wichita Church of Christ is excited to announce the goal for our Special Missions Contribution: $65,000. This amounts to about 13 times our regular contribution every week. Our Special Missions Contribution collection will be taken up Sunday, May 13, 2007. As well, the church will have until the end of May to turn in all their SMC. The breakdown of how the money collected will be distributed is this: 1) $40,000 for the Eurasian Missions Society 2) $12,000 for members of the Wichita Church of Christ to travel to Vladivostok, Russia in the next year 3) $8,000 to help with the Eau Claire, Wisconsin church planting led by Joel Peed 4) $5,000 to help our intern, Russell Lingerfelt, on a mission trip this summer to Egypt and New Guinea.

SMC is a once a year tradition that the church has for supporting mission efforts around the world and here in the United States as well. The church is asked to give a multiple of a certain times of their regular weekly contribution. The Wichita Church of Christ has always been generous since its inception (1991) in supporting the mission work of other churches, especially those which are overseas. For many years in the late 1990’s through 2003 the church here gave over $100,000 per year in our SMC. This was in spite of the fact that the church has never had a membership of over 200 people. The climax of our giving was in 2002, when the church gave a 30 times SMC multiple, which totaled over $180,000! However, the last three years our SMC has steadily decreased to a low last year of just over $21,000. While we are grateful for every dollar given, we are convicted through the Word of God that we can and will do better.

Since about 1995, the majority of our mission’s dollar has gone to support the expanding and planting of new churches in Russia and Eurasia. In December of 2006, I had the opportunity to travel to Vladivostok, Russia and see the disciples in our sister church there. (See article posted on this website). It was a life-changing time in many ways. I came home with two simple convictions about Wichita’s SMC. First of all, whatever amount we send over there is worth it, because the money has turned into souls that have been won for Christ. And these souls are now my brothers and sisters in Christ, and now that I have met them, they are my friends! Secondly, as the evangelist for the church, I must set goals for Special Missions Contribution, and advertise these goals to the church. I promised the church I would not be heavy-handed in accountability with the SMC, but neither would I be silent about it. (We have had no goals or fanfare about SMC here in Wichita the last 3 years.) But the needs of the churches in Eurasia are there and greater than ever. Therefore, after going to Russia, I repented of my small commitment to SMC last year and the church has repented as well!

It is great to hear stories of sacrifice and faith as people commit to raising their own personal goal for the missions contribution. One brother had nothing to give and not much faith about it either. Then he talked to his wife, who challenged his faith: they then sold their extra belongings in their house and raised $800 for missions! Another brother and his wife found out they owed back taxes from 2004 of several thousand dollars. In their angst over the tax debt, they were not confident they could give anything to missions this year. Then an overpayment check arrived from their escrow account for their home. It was almost exactly 13 times their weekly contribution. With relieved hearts, they are giving this money for missions! My wife, Gerri, was trying to raise her goal of $500, and she was not sure where it was going to come from. She raised it in one weekend, between a garage sale that netted $240 and carrying a pager over a 4-day weekend where she gets $50 for every call in which she has to come into the office. (Gerri works for an orthodontist, and until last weekend, she had never been asked by her boss to answer the pager). She prayed that she would get called in enough times to make $300, and she was able to make $350 over the weekend. When God’s people set their hearts on positive, faithful goals for the advancement of his kingdom, he delivers the answer to many prayers! Amen, and may God be glorified through the Wichita Church of Christ Special Missions Contribution.